The Eagles insist that they aren't looking at the big picture, and that they're focusing on beating Washington. And for good reason — the big picture isn't pretty. It was made even uglier after the Cowboys upset the New Orleans Saints 13-10 on Thursday night.

All of a sudden, the Cowboys, winners of four straight, are alone in first place with five games left.

But as Washington coach Jay Gruden said, nothing is guaranteed at this point. One month ago, his team was 5-2, in first place by two games over the Eagles and Cowboys.

Now, both the Eagles and Washington are pretty much facing an elimination game.

"For people to start crowning division champions after Week 8 or 9, or 6, is asinine," Gruden said. "This is truly a 16-game season. Usually, in our division, it goes down to Week 15 or 16. I don’t see any difference this year."

But it will take a lot for the Eagles to still be in contention going into the final game, when they play at Washington.

"Unfortunately, we put ourselves in this position through how we played this season," center Jason Kelce said. "Obviously, we need to continue to win games, especially division games. They're that much more important now. This is a game we have to take care of, and we're all focused on this one."

Here, then, are the Eagles' playoff chances based on what could happen in these upcoming games against Washington and Dallas:

Stick a fork in 'em

Lose to Washington, lose to Dallas: That would eliminate the Eagles from winning the division. The Eagles would trail the Cowboys by three games with three games to play. The Cowboys would hold the tiebreaker by virtue of winning both games between the two teams.

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The Cowboys beat the Eagles 27-20 on Nov. 11. The Eagles would be eliminated from winning the NFC East with losses Monday night against Washington and at Dallas next Sunday.(Photo: Jerry Habraken, The News Journal)

The Eagles would have to pass three teams that are currently at 6-5 to get the second wildcard. Those three teams would all have to go 2-3 the rest of the way, while none of the four teams one game or less behind the Eagles could go better than 4-1.

And if that scenario miraculously happens, then there are several levels of tiebreakers that would have to be sifted through. The Eagles, at 3-5 in the NFC so far, aren't in a good spot there, either.

Life support

Lose to Washington, beat Dallas: The Eagles won't be mathematically eliminated with a loss Monday. But they would be 5-7, two full games behind Dallas and Washington with four games left.

Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson (26) carries the ball during the second half of an NFL football game between the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers, Sunday, Sept. 23, 2018 in Landover, Md. The Redskins defeated the Packers 31-17. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)(Photo: Alex Brandon, AP)

They would have to win out to get to 9-7, which would include winning next Sunday in Dallas, then in Los Angeles against the Rams (11-1), followed by a home win over the Houston Texans (9-3) who have won nine straight.

That would set up the season finale in Washington, assuming that Washington loses two of three before then despite not playing a team with a winning record. Washington has the Giants (4-8), Jacksonville (4-8) and Tennessee (6-6). Dallas would also have to lose two of its last three against the Colts (6-6), Buccaneers (5-7) and Giants.

Beat Washington, lose to Dallas: Again, the Eagles wouldn't be mathematically eliminated as they would trail Dallas by two games with three remaining. But they would lose any tiebreaker to the Cowboys.

That means the Eagles would have to win out while Dallas would have to lose its final three games. Again, very, very unlikely.

Alive and kicking

Beat Washington and Dallas: In this scenario, the Eagles and Cowboys would be 7-6 after games of Dec. 9. There would be a three-way tie for first place if Washington beat the Giants next Sunday.

But the Eagles have not won two games in a row this season, let alone three, which is what this run would take following their win over the Giants last Sunday.

Assuming Washington and Dallas don't finish better than 9-7, the Eagles would have a chance. But they would also have to win at least one game against the Rams or Texans.

Sitting pretty

Run the table: The Eagles would thus finish the season with six straight wins to go 10-6. It has been done before. The Green Bay Packers did it in 2016, a streak that began with a Monday night win over the Eagles.

That would knock out Washington, which would have at least two more losses and thus do no better than 9-7.

Eagles kicker Jake Elliot (4) celebrates a go-ahead field goal with teammates in the last minute of their Sunday matchup against the New York Giants. The Eagles defeated the Giants 25-22. Jerry Habraken, The News Journal

Eagles' Carson Wentz (11) looks over to see if he gained enough for a first down after running the ball Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Giants 25-22. Jerry Habraken, The News Journal

Dallas could end up tied with the Eagles at 10-6. But the Eagles would win the tiebreaker in this scenario based on splitting the season series, and having a better overall record in the division, the next tiebreaker. The Cowboys could do no better than 4-2 in the division compared to 5-1 for the Eagles.

It could be tough to beat both the Rams and Texans. Both of those teams would still have plenty to play for. By virtue of the Saints' loss to the Cowboys, the Rams need to keep winning to secure home field throughout the NFC playoffs. The last thing they want to do is play an NFC Championship game in New Orleans.

The Texans could be playing for a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs. They are currently tied with New England for that No. 2 spot.

Suffice it to say that if the Eagles can survive all of that, it would be one of their best comebacks of all.